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DIPOL Weekly Review - TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

No. 04/2013 (Jan. 21, 2013)

CES 2013 - packed, but without major innovations. The world's largest consumer electronics trade fair - Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - was held in Las Vegas between January 8 and 11. This year there were over 3,000 exhibitors - an absolute record in the 45-year history of the show. Trends that shape the CES are of great importance for the future of consumer electronics - it was the place of the introduction of video cassette recorder (VCR) in 1970, camcorder and CD player in 1981, DVD in 1996, HDTV in 1998, Xbox in 2001, Blu-ray player in 2004. Among the dominant themes at this year's fair the visitors could notice Ultra HD and OLED televisions. They are especially important from the point of view of big TV manufacturers, providing the basis to renew their offerings. On the other hand, one could get the impression that it was the same old stuff - to tell the truth the increase in the resolution from FullHD to 4K did not seem to be a revolution that could be compared to the transition from SD to HD/FullHD. At this year's CES it was difficult to find a true innovation capable of changing some areas of our lives. However, there were many interesting gadgets...

One of the more interesting items presented by Panasonic was a 20-inch 4K tablet with a thickness of 1 cm, run by Windows 8. The device is to be mainly used by designers, architects, photographers using remote access to servers (cloud computing). The advantage is primarily the large diagonal of the display - an easy-to-use interface for professional applications.

View of the 20-inch tablet from Panasonic

LG presented a curved flatscreen OLED TVs with 55-, 65- and 84-inch diagonals. These OLED devices were characterized by extremely realistic picture, and the curvature of the screen helped to obtain more natural depth of space. In the future, curved screens will probably enable 3D viewing experience without glasses.

OLED TV from LG - will similar televisions offer 3D without glasses?

A very similar technology of curved televisions was presented by Samsung. In addition, the Korean giant unveiled the F9500 model, the first TV in the world offering Multi-View function allowing viewers to watch two different TV broadcasts at the same time. This is possible with the use of dedicated 3D glasses synchronizing with the chosen picture, whereas personal headphones provide the appropriate audio channel.

At CES, there were also gadgets of the future such as ... rifle with Linux operating system, performing calculations necessary for shots at long distances. For example, the software chooses the optimum moment for taking the shot, informing the shooter. The solution is very similar to that currently used in modern fighter planes. The gun with built-in wireless interface can connect to iPhone / iPad and provide the live image from the sight, e.g. for training others.

The rifle running Linux operating system - it can calculate and select the optimal moment of shot release

Technological innovations were also presented by the automotive industry. Audi showed its version of a self-driving car. The German company, similarly to Google and Lexus, has been working on a fully autonomous vehicle. At the moment, the Audi solution allows the owner of the car to call it with a smartphone from a remote location in the parking lot.

Call this with a smartphone - autonomous Audi car

As usual, there were given BEST OF CES AWARDS. The winners can be sure of making profits - promotion at the fair in Las Vegas is the best marketing. Careful selection of nominations and professionalism of the jury give consumers practical advice which products are worth their money. This year's indication is on Ultra High Definition televisions and OLED technology.

Optical power measurements. Fiber networks require high quality workmanship. During installation and maintenance of the networks, the installer should take into account not only the correct fiber splicing, but also the geometry of the laid cables and individual fibers (bending radii).

Any irregularity may increase the attenuation of the path, resulting even in the failure of the link. For the convenience of work, every installer of optical networks should be equipped with a suitable set of diagnostic tools. The basic devices are an optical power meter and a visual fault locator.

OPTOKON PM-800 is an advanced meter designed to measure optical power loss in fiber networks based on multimode and single-mode fibers. The meter is calibrated to measure optical power at six wavelengths (nm): 850, 1300, 1310, 1490, 1550, and 1625. AWD (Auto Wavelength Detection) function allows the meter to detect the length of the transmitted wave and automatically adjust measuring parameters. It is possible to set 0 dB reference level so as to make the measurements of an optical path easier.

Visual fault locators can detect fiber faults which are not visible to the naked eye. Mechanical defects often occur at the ends of the fibers and are the result of poor handling of the cable during installation.

The visual fault locator L5933 is designed to help diagnose problems with fiber optic cabling. The device is designed to test single-mode and multimode fiber optic cables. The output power is sufficient to check even 3 km long links. The FM-FOA-FCH locator allows for detection of light leaks in optical transmission systems. The visible red light (650 nm) can be observed at breaks, bad splices or connectors, improper bends etc, providing an overview of the problem.

SMATV system based on cascadable multiswitches. The scope of the project for a multifamily building was SMATV system providing DVB-T and SAT signals (from two satellite positions, Hot Bird and Astra) to each of the 64 antenna outlets ( R694100 ).

The antenna array installed on the roof of the building consists of the A9662 satellite dish and Dipol 44/21-69 Tri Digit A2670 UHF DVB-T antenna. The signals are carried by 9 coaxial cables TRISET-113 PE E1017 over a distance of 30 meters to the SSQ 908 R70529 TV/SAT splitter, then delivered to the four staircases. Below there is the diagram of the SMATV system constructed with the use of SatNet software (click on the diagram to view the full version).

The three upper stories in each staircase are equipped with 9-input cascadable multiswitches TERRA MS-951 R70951, and the fourth (lowest) story - with the end-of-line version - MS-952 R70952. The system also uses a set of channel amplifiers Terra at420 R82510 to equalize the levels of the DVB-T multiplexes.

The system can be powered in two different ways, either from 18 VDC power supplies R71465 connected to the end-of-line multiswitches R70952 or from the power supplies built into the SA-901 R70901 amplifiers. In any of the cases, the power is distributed via the H signal lines. This means no need for additional power supplies on individual stories.

A discreet 24/7 monitoring system. The solution presented below allows the owner to monitor locations where video surveillance is required round the clock, but it should be invisible for people entering the area. The examples are systems monitoring roads and forests, e.g. for preventing timber theft and illegal dumping of waste.

A configuration of a system for discreet monitoring, with wireless video transmission

The vital element of the monitoring system is IR illuminator IRN40 M1649 which generates a beam of infrared light invisible to the human eye but visible to the u-cam 650 M11194 camera. The video is transmitted wirelessly via the TCO5807h M1559 transmitter/receiver set, with range up to 2 km. For proper operation it is necessary to ensure a direct, unobstructed line-of-sight (LOS) path between the antennas of the transmitter and receiver. In the case of an environment blocking mutual visibility of the antennas, the way out of this situation is application of another wireless A/V transmission set, M1559, as a relay point. The re-transmitter should be mounted on a high structure so that be visible by the both access points.The video data is recorded by 4-channel HIKVISION DS-7204HVI-ST/M M72041 DVR allowing remote monitoring and access to recordings via the Internet, using both a computer and mobile phone. It provides real time control over the monitored area and the possibility of rapid intervention.

CCTV analog cameras in IP networks. If the user wants to switch from analog surveillance system to IP CCTV, there is no need to replace all the cameras. In many cases it is sensible to connect them to video servers. The K1601 video servers can convert analog video signals into compressed digital video streams and encapsulate them into IP packets transported over Ethernet networks. The Sunell video servers also enable transmission of control signals to PTZ cameras.

The preview of the video streams obtained from the analog cameras via the K1601 servers, as well as from IP cameras directly connected to the network, is possible with any web browser or the free NVMS software accompanying the servers. The NVR software allows for configuration and management of up to 36 Sunell video servers or Sunell IP cameras, for recording of the video streams and playing back the materials.

When the video streams on the local network have to be transmitted over distances greater than 100 meters, the transmission medium should be changed from a twisted pair cable either to fiber optics, with the use of optical media converters, or to wireless means, using e.g. ULTIAIR access points. After providing Internet access and forwarding router ports, the images from the cameras will be available from anywhere in the world.

How to choose the best mobile repeater? There are many locations where the range of a cellular network allows for use of mobile phones out of buildings, but is insufficient for indoor operation. Most problems with GSM/DCS/3G signals occur in buildings with steel and concrete structures (supermarkets, airport halls), with thick walls (traditional hotels), in underground facilities (parking lots, pubs in cellars etc.), in tunnels. The solution to this problem is to use a GSM, DCS, or 3G repeater, being a two-way amplifier of wireless cellular signals. Here is an algorithm how to choose the appropriate repeater:

The basic information that one should know before purchasing a repeater is the kind of cellular service which will be used:

GSM, EGSM - used mainly outside cities, but also in many metropolitan areas; the bands ensure voice connections and low/medium speed Internet connectivity.

DCS - used mainly in cities (due to higher capacity of a single base station).

Video converter plus ... . Analog CCTV system is often equipped with a number of additional devices. In this case, the equipment for fiber optic transmission has to provide additional functionality, aside from sending the video from security cameras. The examples of multipurpose devices are Ultimode video converters.The ideal model for this type of systems is the Ultimode V-204DAO L2423 set. The pair can transmit 4 analog video channels, one-way RS-485 signal, audio and logic signals (0/1). Typical application of the L2423 set is shown in the figure below... more

Analog CCTV system using single-mode fiber for transmission of video, audio, RS-485 and alarm signals

MATV systems in areas with difficult reception conditions. It happens that the parameters of DVB-T signal intercepted by the antenna are not sufficient for its further distribution in the MATV system. The problem usually occurs in areas with poor terrestrial signal levels. The signal received by the antenna cannot be directly amplified or converted to a different frequency due to high BER and low MER levels... more

How to operate CCTV system with DVR located away from the monitor? There are video surveillance systems where the DVR should be located in some distance from the operator's room. This poses the question: can the system be controlled only over LAN? No, the solution presented below allows for transmission of video and audio from the DVR to the operator's site and control commands in the opposite direction (using both mouse and remote control) without the use of LAN...more

he components for transmitting video, audio and control signals in a CCTV systemwith a DVR located up to 50 meters from the operator's site